St Albans Kindies do more than 300 selfless acts in one week

Strategic manager Jonathan Godden, 40, decided to start the Kindies challenge in St Albans - he asked participants to make a note of one kind thing they do once a day for a week, and let him know.

He came up with the idea after coming back from Thailand in November and thought that comparatively, British people are often not as generous as they could be.

Participants, coined Kindies, got into the challenge by completing multiple tasks each day and spreading the word to get more people involved.

Tasks included reconnecting with old friends and family, reaching out to people who let them down, and proactively supporting those in need.

A large amount of food, money, and time was donated to local charities throughout the week.

Jonathan said: “From my side it was far beyond what I thought it would do. I thought it might lose momentum after a couple of days but the kind acts propelled everyone to do more and more kind acts.We set people one task every day for a seven days but they started doing three or four.”

He said although all kind acts count, some were particularly notable, including one man who bought a complete stranger a plane ticket at the airport.

“I have tried to follow up with people and seen it’s propelled them to have a different lense, to look out for other people and check everybody is alright.

“It has inspired a lot of people and personally I am hugely proud of the individuals who did it.”

Jonathan said suffering with Cystic Fibrosis helped him to “understand how precious life is and how generally our interactions with friends, family and generally people in day to day life can help define your happiness”.

Jonathan is going to run the week again next February to coincide with an official Random Acts of Kindness day on February 17. He is also running a one day challenge on November 13 for World Kindness Day.

To sign up, find out about the next task and become a St Albans Kindie, join www.facebook.com/events/1675560299133556/